


I never knew that I needed you

by Emm_loves



Series: As the force wills it [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types
Genre: Chronically ill character, Codependency, Comfort/Angst, Disabled Character, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Night Terrors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25097623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emm_loves/pseuds/Emm_loves
Summary: “They’re having night terrors, scared half the girls in her bunk to death the last few nights.  Clearly they decided they were done dealing with it.  None of the other female bunks will take her.”It seemed she couldn’t escape the temple after all.  It was common for older padawans to pile in with anyone who had a disturbing dream or vision.  Half the time the force woke them before the screams or cries.“If I’m your last hope, I can’t really refuse.  It’ll be tight, but I’m sure I can.”  She almost hoped she could quell her darkness, whoever was troubled enough to have to come to her.-----------Cara has nightmares of Alderaan, Eira still has them of 66 decades later.  In each other they find a temporary solution.(Title fro Unravelling by The Crane Wives)
Relationships: Cara Dune & Original Character(s)
Series: As the force wills it [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817680
Kudos: 1





	I never knew that I needed you

They met in the spring, if you could say there was ever spring on Hoth. The ice was evergreen, bright and shining, chilling breath to clouds even in the warmest of rooms. Anyone who had any mechanic skills was constantly tinkering, trying to stop the screens, datapads, droids and ships from freezing up. 

They also bunked together, up to six in one tiny room, to fight the cold that crept into their bones. Platonic bedsharing was clearly the rebellion’s new normal. It reminded Eira of the temple, of her bittersweet memories of cuddle-puddles of padawans. Not that she’d complain about a bunkmate. Her tiny room was the coldest; and the loneliest. No one wanted to bunk with someone who cried out from nightmares and pain every night anyway. That was until another cell joined up to the main base.

This cell was small and ragged; and only too happy to help, bringing supplies of food and building materials. Despite this, they only made the base more crowded. A few days after they’d arrived, a member of personnel knocked on Eira’s door. They tended to leave her alone, after all she primarily tinkered with tech. Not that anyone tended to mess with force users full stop.

“I’m sorry to intrude-“ The skinny personnel officer’s voice was tinged with anxiety. Clearly she’d gained a reputation as someone not to mess with, a solo room was a privilege few had, for reasons good or bad. 

“Trust me you’re not. Do you need your datapads repaired as well, or is there some other reason?” Her tone was neutral, though she hoped her face didn’t betray her real thoughts of annoyance and the constant underlying pain.

“Um, no. The, the truth is, we want to know if you can bunk up with someone. They’re human, infantry and from Alderaan.”

"So?"

“They’re having night terrors, scared half the girls in her bunk to death the last few nights. Clearly they decided they were done dealing with it. None of the other female bunks will take her.”

It seemed she couldn’t escape the temple after all. It was common for older padawans to pile in with anyone who had a disturbing dream or vision. Half the time the force woke them before the screams or cries.

“If I’m your last hope, I can’t really refuse. It’ll be tight, but I’m sure I can.” She almost hoped she could quell her darkness, whoever was troubled enough to have to come to her.

* * *

Cara had come later that day. She was quiet, barely speaking, and barely brought anything. She had distinctive crisp pauldrons, though the effect was rather lost due to the thick overlayer between her shirt and armour. Likely a hand-me-down from one of the male pilots, as while she wasn’t as tall as Eira, who towered over most of the rebellion women, she wouldn’t have fit in most of the clothing on the women’s spare pile.

They spoke little, she was likely already aware that as well as being her last hope, Eira was just as likely to wake her as the opposite. They said little about the single bed either, probably the only person in Echo Base who didn’t have to share was Princess Organa (even if there were rumours).

It wasn’t until some time after midnight when Eira woke. Like she’d thought, the proximity and unguarded nature of her new roommate had led to a stagnant cloud of fear and pain waking her. Clearly the force wanted her to help, not that you could resist the will of the force.

“Hey, hey, Cara?” Eira took her gently by the shoulders and began to shake her, but that only yielded unconscious panicked noises. Deciding to do it the old way, she reached out with the force, desperately trying to smother the pain and fear with an aura of comfort and safety. She only barely remembered how they used to do it in the padawan bunks.

“Wha-“ clearly she did something, though she wasn’t sure if waking her was a good outcome. “Where am I?”

“Echo Base, it’s after midnight, but early enough the only others up are likely General Syndulla and the night scouts.” She paused for a moment, “I’m sorry I woke you, but whatever you were dreaming was stifling. And for me all too familiar.”

“Stifling? Fuck, I forgot.” Her hazel eyes were still wide with panic, though that was easing with every passing moment. Clearly she’d forgotten the history of her bunkmate, whatever she’d been told. Now they were lying together under one blanket, like she used to in the sleepovers she remembered from her childhood. Everyone from those memories now gone, reduced to ashes and atoms. “Does it ever get easier?” The implications of the question hung clearly in the chill air.

Eira paused for a moment, clearly conflicted, before she came to an answer. She seemed almost reluctant to be vulnerable, to let down her shields even for a moment.

“No, it never gets easier. I still dream about it, and its been 20 years.” She paused again, pushing down desperate emotions. “I mostly see my clanmates, my love, trapped in the temple. Captain Neyo, the clones I knew as brothers, ramming my master off her speeder with blaster fire.” Eira realised slow tears were running across her face, chilling to an icy cold.

Neither woman spoke for a long time, stewing in now painful memories. All they could do to comfort each other was rendered useless by the sheer weight of their shared trauma. To lose a people, a family, a home was a loss to profound to name. Later they both fell back into a fitful sleep; the dark memories chased away by each other’s embrace.

As long as they shared a bunk on Hoth, they always brought the other back from the dark place their minds tortured them into. First with an embrace, but as their relationship grew, with kisses.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked, or even enjoyed, this fic! It's the first of a series of writers block busting drabbles about my OC Eira and Cara Dune. (Because I love her!). I'm 100% on the wlw Cara train, an idea confirmed to me by her words to Mando over Omera's offer.
> 
> All the other works in this Series will have titles taken from Cane Wives lyrics (because my 2013 fic roots hold strong).


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